Three buildings collapse, properties destroyed as flood hits Lokoja

Three buildings collapsed on Thursday as flood ravaged Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

This was confirmed by the state Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Sanusi Yahaya.

According to him, the persistent downpour of the past few days led to the floods.

He added that the water level in River Niger had been increasing in the past two weeks and that the water had reached 9.48 metres.

He said that houses along the River Niger bank in Lokoja had been ravaged by floods, and occupants evacuated to safety.

He also maintained that “Three houses, including a two-storey building were submerged in Lokoja, while a bridge was also washed away in Igalamela Local Government Area.

”There is the likelihood of flood occurrence in some parts of the state. The flood prediction is coming to pass”.

He directed those living along the river bank and flood paths to relocate immediately to avoid being washed away.

He called on stakeholders, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Red Cross, Navy, civil defence, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), among others, to join hands with the state government to respond to the disaster.

“What the stakeholders need to do urgently is to revive strategies deployed in 2018 and improve some areas as there is no more time to waste,” he admonished.

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Mr Bitrus Samuel, Head, Abuja Operation Office of NEMA, said that the meeting was called to appraise the level of preparedness and early response strategies put in place by stakeholders.

He said that the rising trend of level of water in River Niger and prolonged heavy rainfall had made flooding inevitable, saying that all hands must be on deck to confront it.

Bitrus, who was represented by Mr. Shola Babatunde, Assistant Head, NEMA, Abuja Operation Office, called for a well articulated programme to educate and sensitise members of the public.

He said that this was necessary to reduce the disaster impact, especially the magnitude of human and economic losses.

”It is sensible to be proactive, based on past experiences, to take great steps in manning and preparing to respond to them in a coordinated and integrated manner,” he said.

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